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EDF Statement on Pennsylvania House Bill 2154

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives today passed House Bill 2154, which seeks to roll back critical oil and gas protections to where they stood in 1984.

While drilling and production continue apace in Pennsylvania, and more and more residents are exposed to the risks of this development, it is astonishing that the House would vote to scale back protections of the state’s public health and environment.

If enacted, HB 2154 will roll back standards for water quality, well blowout prevention and track fluid disclosure, among other provisions. It is a brazen attempt to do the bidding of the oil and gas industry at the cost of the health of millions of Pennsylvania families.

A recent EDF analysis estimates emissions of methane and smog-forming volatile organic compounds to be five and nine times higher, respectively, than what industry reports to the state. Now is the time to improve safeguards, encourage innovation and bolster the state’s environmental protections, not blindly roll them back.

“Pennsylvania lawmakers should place the interests of Pennsylvania families and communities over the interests of the oil and gas industry. This bill walks back decades of environmental progress in Pennsylvania and is not the solution to Pennsylvania’s energy challenges.”

Andrew Williams, Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs, U.S. Climate and Energy

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading international nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. Connect with us on EDF Voices, Twitter and Facebook.